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Original poster

Crap halloween givers

337 replies

WashingAt30 · 31/10/2023 19:15

It's nice when someone opens the door to you, and they at least smile, and maybe have a little chat about the DC's costumes. My god, some people don't even look happy, just shove a bag of sweets at you as close the door! I wouldn't be surprised if one creepy man we met was on some kind of offenders register. Why bother if you're not going to get into the spirt?!

OP posts:
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16
Differentstarts · 31/10/2023 23:50

I think the problem is people are not only trying to eat their dinner but have already answered the door 20 times in the last half hour so your not gonna catch everyone at their best

Moreempatheticmyarse · 31/10/2023 23:52

DeeCee77 · 31/10/2023 23:41

You are giving little anecdotal examples.

As i said, tiny pockets (especially among those with Irish roots or living near the Scottish border).

My Halloween, in the 1980s, was 100% from Ireland/Scotland. The only two additions since then is carving a pumpkin instead of a turnip, and using the phrase "trick or treat" at the door instead of the various regional things we said.

Show quote history

You literally started with an anecdotal example of you going to uni in the 90s and haven't actually provided anything other than anecdotal examples yourself

My examples are spread across multiple counties, none of which are in the North so I'm not sure where your tiny pockets with Irish roots or near Scotland comes in anyway

And as for your Halloween in the 1980s (also a little anecdotal example from you) mine in Wales in the 1980s included carved pumpkins and the phrase trick or treating

Sugarfree23 · 31/10/2023 23:53

HandsomeJack · 31/10/2023 19:20

This is me! I'm pretty awkward most of the time and I don't really know what I'm supposed to say. I just hold out the bowl and wait for them to leave!

Ask them if they have a joke for you.
This year's favourite 'what's ghosts favourite dessert - ice-screem'

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Events & celebrations
Mothership4two · 31/10/2023 23:55

Why didn't the skeleton go to the Halloween party: He had no-body to go with

HonoriaLucastaDelagardie · 31/10/2023 23:59

With respect, "penny for the guy" is hardly exciting is it?

The point was to put some effort into making the guy (no bought stuff), so people would actually want to give you a penny to show appreciation. Whereas Trick or Treat carries the threat of repercussions if you don't give something. A few years ago, my local Co-op would not sell eggs and flour to children and teenagers in the run up to Hallowe'en.

Hallowe'en may have been celebrated in the past in parts of England (but I'm not convinced guisers had anythng to do with Trick or Treat), but shops filled with tat is definitely a recent thing.

CaptainTuttle · 01/11/2023 00:03

My adult son has ASD but is happy to hand out the Halloween candy. I could hear the children saying “Trick or Treat” and “Happy Halloween” but not a peep from him! He said he didn’t say anything because he’s “socially awkward”. I told him he can just say “Happy Halloween” back.
I guess he will be labelled a “grump” or the “obvious creep who should be on a sex offender’s register” to those amazing, supposed adults who can tell everything about a person from a five second interaction.
What a wonderful world.

x2boys · 01/11/2023 00:08

DeeCee77 · 31/10/2023 23:24

I can, because its documented. Why do you think there's almost nothing about Halloween from TV shows based in England until the 2000s?

Because Halloween, not being an English custom, was not celebrated in England.

Was it celebrated by tiny pockets there? (near the Scottish border, or a family with Irish roots, or a catholic family who don't mark 5th of November), sure, but that's it.

I've grown up (1980s Ireland) with Halloween stuff everywhere. At school (where I believe we are the only nation that has a Halloween break), at home, in the shopping centres, halloween took over. I then went to uni in England in the 90s, and there was nothing.

Show quote history

Well, apart from giving anecdotal.evidence yourself practically everybody I met during my youth celebrated Halloween ,my Dh,has pictures if him and his sister dressed up.for Halloween as kids and they were neither Catholic or Irish ,and lived about ten miles away from me .when I did my nurse training also in the 90,s and affiliated to a university so we lived in university accommodation we had Halloween parties yes,its certainly a lot bigger event now ,but I certainly remember celebrating it

ClairDeLaLune · 01/11/2023 00:09

Moreempatheticmyarse · 31/10/2023 19:29

be surprised if one creepy man we met was on some kind of offenders register.

You should work for the police being able to work out so easily who is an offender and who isn't just by how they look and act

Yeah poor bloke. Judgey, much.

SleepingStandingUp · 01/11/2023 00:10

So one guy was so grumpy and unfriendly you think he's on the offender's register? Eh???

Tbh we had four 8 year olds, a 7 year old, a 6 year old, 3 three year olds and a 2 year old, plus a pram. I didn't expect anyone to make small talk 🤣 just survive the onslaught

SleepingStandingUp · 01/11/2023 00:16

Montaguez · 31/10/2023 20:34

That’s exactly how it was when I was growing up and is still the same way now. Only kids that come to the door are ones we know. Around here (well my mums as we are here this week) it would be thought of as cheeky to go to a random persons door

Well, I only know the address of one family here so we would only be able to knock on one door, if we did it that way! We don't know anybody else. It's decorations = you can knock here. We only go round the areas around our house (London)

Totally agree Montaquez. We go out with the two families we know on our estate so altho we do know their door, it would be odd just working around the parents left at home. It would be a trek with three young kids to Nanny's or any school friends houses. Plenty of houses had signs saying don't knock and the kids quickly picked up looking for them. Light out, no knock. They did knock undecorated houses with lights on because alot of the Asian families don't like to do the Halloween decor but love having the kids knock.

Livelovebehappy · 01/11/2023 00:22

ComtesseDeSpair · 31/10/2023 20:03

I think if you take your children to knock on strangers’ doors to ask for sweets, you ultimately run the risk, and have to accept it, that some of those strangers may be child sex offenders.

And I’ve never heard of this rule that if you have decorations up you’re fair game for being targeted by kids, but presume this is why I’ve had to turn several away this evening: I presume they’ve been mistaking our colourful outdoor lanterns, up all year round, for a Halloween invitation. Poor sods. I only have fruit in the house.

We had loads tonight. In fact I’d forgotten it was even Halloween until the first ones came at 4.00. I was wondering why we were getting so many until I realised my door wreath had small oranges on it, which I guess look like pumpkins in the dark! Hence us having a steady stream of trick or treaters. In the end I had to dash up to the local shop to buy in sweets. Note to self to make sure wreath with no orange decorations on next year….

Ilovelifeverymuch · 01/11/2023 00:25

PurpleChrayne · 31/10/2023 19:18

What do you expect when you knock on random doors? So entitled!

Don't participate if you're going to be a grump.

Got2getout · 01/11/2023 00:25

I’m not really a big fan of Halloween to be honest, but we’ve got a few decorations up (for our own children).

I never went trick-or-treating as a child, and don’t allow my own children to go either. I do always buy sweets in though. The last few years I’ve left them in a bucket at the end of the path. I didn’t want to be interrupted every two minutes while cooking the dinner / eating / clearing up / getting the youngest ready for bed. Plus the constant knocking drives the dogs nuts.

OP if you’re worried about odd people who should be on ‘some sort of register’ then perhaps you shouldn’t encourage your children to approach strangers. There are plenty of other things you could do with your children to mark the occasion, that wouldn’t involve disturbing potential criminals in their own homes.

SleepingStandingUp · 01/11/2023 00:28

DeeCee77 · 31/10/2023 22:22

Its (ignorant) English people (who have never done Halloween) thinking they can speak for those of us in Ireland and Scotland who have done for centuries.

The English do Guy Fawkes Night..."penny for the guy", now that's something we have never done.

Show quote history

Why do you think people have only been doing Halloween in England for a few years? It's hardly a post COVID activity. I can remember the lectures about not knocking in certain doors and no tricks etc. from teachers in school in the mid 80s. Halloween disco when I was probably 10 so maybe 1990 and I went as Dracula's Wife in a wedding dress my sister made for me. It may not be an ancient bedrock upon which England was built 🙄 but no country owns it.

And it's v odd to suggest we've swapped Bonfire / Guy Fawkes night for it. There will be bonfires everywhere next weekend

Thepossibility · 01/11/2023 00:29

We probably had 200 odd trick or treaters. Do you seriously think I owe every single one of them a chat, I have my own shit to do and my own kids to manage.
Seeing your kid isn't the highlight of my day.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 01/11/2023 00:34

You never know what's going on with someone. Smile, say Thank you and move on. 🤷‍♀️

Olive19741205 · 01/11/2023 00:42

That's the spirit OP. Bash the people who DID open their doors and gave your DC some sweets.

capabilityfrowns · 01/11/2023 00:43

I don't have young kids at home so I didn't bother with decorations or a pumpkin tonight , all my lights were off and I was upstairs.

Still had knocks at the door . I just let my German shepherd bark and they left .

Rule was when my were young only knock on people with decorations. No one is obligated to give your kids free sweets . Or money .

Mothership4two · 01/11/2023 00:52

Rule was when my were young only knock on people with decorations. No one is obligated to give your kids free sweets . Or money

Still the rule around here @capabilityfrowns, well a pumpkin out, but no giving money. Both NDNs and all the houses opposite weren't taking part

DeeCee77 · 01/11/2023 02:36

Mothership4two · 31/10/2023 23:48

No definitely was not a thing for me either growing up in the West Country in the 70s and 80s or my family in the North East @DeeCee77. Weirdly at my Catholic school the boarders would have a party, which I think was an alternative to Halloween, quite strange as no-one else was doing anything. Bonfire night was celebrated a bit - although our family weren't particularly into that either. Think there were probably a few English pagans quietly celebrating. I think the first time we had trick or treaters was mid 2000s. I think when we "ignorant" English talk about it being an Americanism they mean the huge hoohaa surrounding it which was shown in films and on TV and has now come over here. I didn't realise it had always been an equally massive deal in Ireland although I did know the Scots celebrate it, but didn't think it was always on the scale it is nowadays.

When I say ignorant I just mean uninformed in regards to not knowing the actual history and the customs of Halloween, all of which are a combination of Irish/Scots...the only two minor exceptions being carving a pumpkin instead of a turnip, and using the phrase/interjection "trick or treat" at the door rather than the regional variations. No I've seen "americanism" used by the uninformed in relation to Halloween customs, none of which are bar using a pumpkin.

Pranks
Supernatural/ghosts
Apple bobbing
Bonfire
Fireworks
Door to door in disguise ('guising')
Carving turnip to create a lantern
Coin in food (often a tart is used)

These Halloween customs are all from here. Halloween not being an English custom and not marked in England (bar a smattering) is not an excuse to not to have some basic knowledge of what it is. In Ireland we have never celebrated Guy Fawkes Night, but I'd be pretty sure most of us have an idea what it's about.

Mummy2mybear · 01/11/2023 03:19

Pertangyangkipperbang · 31/10/2023 19:20

Just had six kids knock on my door.. age between 10 and 14 I'd say..l got the sweets ready and one says " we are not taking any more sweets ...just money"
????
( l don't have any money.. but wouldn't have given it anyhow).

😂🤣😂

WildFlowerBees · 01/11/2023 03:35

Why aren't costumes Halloween any more. How is Elsa or Spider-Man in the spirit of Halloween. Do people actually know anything about the roots of Samhain?

If people are going to celebrate at least do it right!

Themaker · 01/11/2023 04:33

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

curaçao · 01/11/2023 07:04

When i bought my first house in 1992 , i waited upstairs above the front door in witch's costume.when the kids knocked on the door, i leaned out of the upstairs window, threw a glass of water iver them ans yelles 'trick'.I thought it would put them off.
Next year word had spread, and we had 10x as many kids wanting to be 'tricked'

custardcream3 · 01/11/2023 07:49

Expecting people to chat to your children about their costumes is entitled. Talking to other people's children is actively discouraged in society unfortunately. I've seen on here horror at 'old ladies' leaning over prams or god forbid touching a babies cheek. People who are furious if an adult speaks to their child at a park, such as telling them not to push in line. Parents cross with adults who try to talk to their children in the supermarket etc because their child is autistic, shy, etc .It's hardly surprising people are out off engaging with others children and scared of saying the wrong thing. Be grateful for the free entertainment and sweets!